Having a wonderful time reminiscing about all my past travel (and other) adventures. Hope you’ll share them with me in my blog, “All Roads Led to Russia.”
I have just been informed by a sharp-eyed reader that I goofed.
In an earlier post today — “The Inevitable Collapse of Empires” — I included a photo of the French Emperor Napoleon and erroneously described him as the last Roman Emperor, Flavius Romulus Augustulus.
Here, in the interest of accuracy, is the real Romulus Augustulus, or the best available representation of him . . . in which, interestingly, his name is written as “Augustus.”
Flavius Romulus Augustulus (C. 476 A.D.)
So thankful for readers like Jillian who keep me on the straight and narrow!
Ordinarily, a nationwide snowstorm of historic proportions — cancelling flights, closing schools, causing power outages, highway accidents, and even a number of deaths — would be enough to deal with.
But in the Oval Office, it’s doubtful that the focus is on the weekend’s weather woes. Donald Trump is buried under a bigger load of problems today than that pile of snow outside his front door.
The White House – January 25, 2026
Judging from the morning news, things are not going his way. Where to begin?
> Well, on the domestic front, there are the twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota. Despite the frigid weather, the political climate there is heated to the point of erupting, following the murders of two innocent citizens by ICE agents and the attempted cover-up by the government. It has reached the point where Trump has found it necessary to dispatch his so-called “Border Czar,” Tom Homan, to try to find a way out of the mess his troops have created. And Trump is said to be considering reducing the number of ICE agents on site, though that hasn’t been confirmed.
The White House rhetoric, as usual, is anything but helpful. Trump posted on Truth Social this morning:
“I am sending Tom Homan to Minnesota tonight. He has not been involved in that area, but knows and likes many of the people there. Tom is tough but fair, and will report directly to me.” [Kit Maher and Kristen Holmes, CNN, January 26, 2026.]
Tom Homan
So far, so good. But then he mentioned an investigation he has launched into alleged fraud in Minnesota, which he claims “is at least partially responsible for the violent organized protests going on in the streets.” And, just for kicks, he threw in a comment that the Justice Department and Congress are “looking at” Minnesota Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar, saying that “Time will tell all.” [Id.] (Surely it is just a coincidence that Omar happens to be a naturalized U.S. citizen from Somalia . . . right?)
Then that font of all White House wisdom, Karoline Leavitt, had to add her two cents’ worth of venom:
“Tom Homan will be managing ICE operations on the ground in Minnesota and coordinating with others on the ongoing fraud investigations” . . . adding in a post on social media that Homan’s mission will be “to continue arresting the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens.” [Id.]
Of course. “Illegal aliens” like Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti.
Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good
*. *. *
Then there are the foreign entanglements.
> NATO and the European Union: I’m sure Trump is wishing he could turn the clock back just one week, when he would still have been able to cancel his trip to Davos . . . or at least to re-think that disastrous hour-long diatribe in which he insulted and demeaned every single ally he could think of. Because he crossed so many red lines that day, that now our friends are pushing back. They’ve had enough. The UK, France, Germany and Italy have flatly refused to join his “Board of Peace,” and have spoken out against his belittling remarks. Even his threats of increased tariffs are being met with talk of retaliatory measures that would cause total chaos to the U.S. economy.
And even the interim president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez, said on Sunday that she had had “Enough already of Washington’s orders over politicians in Venezuela. Let Venezuelan politics resolve our differences and our internal conflicts. This Republic has paid a very high price for having to confront the consequences of fascism and extremism in our country.” [Laura Sharman, CNN, January 26, 2026.]
Venezuelan Interim President Delcy Rodriguez
Trump thought that invading Venezuela, kidnapping President Maduro and his wife, and decreeing that he would “run” the country until a successor could be chosen would be enough to frighten Rodriguez into submission. And for the past few weeks, she has been trying to balance between leading her nation and keeping Trump happy. But even she is growing sick of his bullying.
> Iran has similarly refused to knuckle under to Trump’s threats, continuing its massacre of anti-government protesters, with one estimate of those killed being as high as 30,000 since December.
> China, while not directly issuing threats, is in the midst of a military purge that could bode ill for the U.S. and a number of other countries, including Taiwan, as President Xi Jinping takes complete control of the country’s military.
> And Greenland . . . well, bless their 55,000 souls, they have simply stood up and said “NO!” They love their “piece of ice,” and they’re not giving it up to anyone — and least of all to Donald Trump.
Greenlanders for Greenland
*. *. *
Add to all of that the fact that even some of his most loyal Republican leaders are beginning to realize that it’s time to face reality and think about the future of the country they took an oath to protect and defend — not to mention their own political futures — and you’ve got a picture of a very, very worried man.
Once again I turn to the words of German-born Holocaust survivor and naturalized-American writer Hannah Arendt for words of wisdom drawn from her own lived experience, to warn us of what the future will bring down upon us if we — like so many in 1930s Europe — fail to heed the warning signs.
Hannah Arendt (1906-75)
This is what the young woman who fled Nazi Germany had to say:
We are seeing it now — not only in the halls of government, but in the streets of some of our finest, most peaceful cities: Minneapolis, St. Paul, and two Portlands on opposite coasts. The vicious, barbaric, senseless cruelty, covered up by lies designed to instill in us an acceptance of such behavior as “normal.” And — like the violence portrayed in movies and TV shows — to immunize us against its effects; to kill the natural human tendency toward empathy for the victims as long as it doesn’t touch our family.
Hannah Arendt witnessed it firsthand, and had the foresight and the courage to speak out against it. We need to listen to her, before it is too late.
The First Roman Emperor: Octavian-Augustus (63 B.C. – 14 A.D.)
The Last Roman Emperor: Flavius Romulus Augustulus (C. 476 A.D.)
> The Ottoman Empire lasted for six centuries, from the 14th to the early 20th.
History of the Ottoman Empire
The Last Ottoman Ruler: Sultan Mehmed VI
> The British Empire continued to expand from its beginning in the late 16th century through the 19th, only to begin contracting in the 20th century following two economically-devastating world wars and the drive for independence by many of its territories.
The Start: British Arrival at Jamestown – 1607
The Finish: Handover of Hong Kong to China – 1997
> And now the United States — conceived and built on the democratic principles of peace and individual liberty — will be lucky to make it to its 250th birthday in July because of the expansionist ambitions of a man who would be Emperor at any cost.
A Great Nation in Decline
While the historic details are vastly different, each empire has fallen for one simple, basic reason: the innate desire of human beings for political autonomy and personal freedom, and their refusal to continue living under oppressive regimes.
No one lives, or rules, forever. From Rome’s Emperor Augustus, to the Ottoman Empire’s Osman I, to England’s “Mad” King George III — each had his day of glory. And each passed into memory along with his empire. So why would anyone be foolish enough to emulate those long-ago autocrats who set their nations on the path to inevitable doom?
A psychiatrist would be far better qualified than I to analyze the character flaws that drive such men. But we, the people, have the advantage today of historic perspective, and the opportunity to prevent it from happening again.
When the first statements were issued following the Ukraine-U.S.-Russia meetings in Abu Dhabi on Friday and Saturday, they sounded more optimistic than usual.
Trilateral Meeting in Abu Dhabi – January 23-24, 2026
U.S. officials said that the talks had “surpassed expectations,” and that the mood in the room was “very upbeat, very positive, very constructive.” [Jessie Yeung, et al., CNN, January 24, 2026.]
One official said that, while a final deal was still not guaranteed, “Getting to this place was a really big step,” and that the parties were working creatively toward solutions.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky added:
“. . . a lot was discussed, and it is important that the conversations were constructive. . . . The central focus of the discussions was the possible parameters for ending the war. All sides agreed to report back in their capitals on each aspect of the negotiations and to coordinate further steps with their leaders. Provided there is readiness to move forward — and Ukraine is ready — further meetings will take place, potentially as early as next week.” [Id.]
An Exhausted President Volodymyr Zelensky
A further comment from a U.S. official was in agreement:
“De-escalation is important. Yes, territory is important, as well, but we’ve eliminated lots of things that the parties couldn’t agree on before Geneva. It’s important for us to keep up the momentum.” [Id.]
Then word came from Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, who told state news agency TASS that Moscow wants to develop a plan that “fully corresponds to the fundamental understandings” reached between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump in Alaska last August. [Id.]
But since we don’t really know what “understandings” were reached between the two leaders in Alaska — other than a mutual desire for improved trade relations — I find that comment worrisome.
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov
The TASS report, citing another source, also said that the parties at Abu Dhabi had discussed “buffer zones and various control mechanisms,” but that the issue of territories remains difficult. [Id.]
And there’s the crux of the problem: that ever-present, all-important, seemingly insurmountable issue of the Donbas region. Putin insists that Russia must have it; Zelensky refuses to be bullied into giving away 20 percent of his country’s territory.
So, for all of the optimism as to the issues that may have been resolved, the most contentious one remains.
The parties have agreed to resume talks on February 1st, again in Abu Dhabi. In the meantime — even during the time the talks were underway — the shelling of Ukraine has continued in the midst of a relentlessly bitter winter.
Volunteers providing hot meals for Kyiv’s elderly citizens
*. *. *
Union General William Tecumseh Sherman was stating the obvious when he said during the American Civil War that “War is hell.” I doubt anyone in Ukraine would disagree with him.
We all know who Anne Frank was: the young Jewish-German girl who spent the last two years of her short life hidden with her family in a secret room in her father’s office in Amsterdam — only to be discovered and incarcerated by the Nazi regime at Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, where she died just two months before the end of World War II.
Anne Frank (1929-1945)
And most of us have heard of the diaries she kept during those two years — diaries rescued by employees of her father’s firm, and later published as a book by her father, Otto Frank, who miraculously survived the war.
Her words belie her youth and inexperience; her undaunted spirit inspires us still. And this one sentence particularly speaks to me in today’s atmosphere of political uncertainty:
“People can tell you to keep your mouth shut, but that doesn’t stop you from having your own opinion.”
– Anne Frank, “The Diary of a Young Girl”
That teen-aged girl, who was forced to keep silent for fear of discovery yet found release in her writing, is a compelling reminder that the most dangerous thing we can do in difficult times is to surrender our opinions and our freedom of expression.
They are everywhere, not just in Vladimir Putin’s archipelago of prison camps, but held by brutal regimes around the world for purely political reasons. And so this weekly column is being renamed.
Welcome to “The World’s Hostages – Bring Them Home.”
Sadly, this change was inspired by news of yet another American, 64-year-old Dennis Coyle of Colorado, who has spent the last year in a basement room in Afghanistan, under the watchful eye of the Taliban.
Dennis Coyle
For nearly 20 years he had been conducting academic research and assisting the Afghan community, when he was forcibly taken from his apartment in January of 2025 by Taliban forces. It was nine months before his family in the United States learned that he was alive.
From the occasional phone calls that he is permitted to make, his mother and three sisters have grown increasingly concerned for his mental health due to his prolonged isolation. In the words of one of his sisters, Molly Long:
“With each phone call that we get from him, we get more and more desperate to get him home.” [Damita Menezes, Chris Cuomo, News Nation, January 15, 2026.]
He has been declared by the U.S. government as wrongfully detained, which prioritizes official efforts for his release. Ms. Long said that the family has been assured by administration officials, including Dr. Sebastian Gorka and U.S. Special Envoy for Hostage Response Adam Boehler, that Coyle’s release is a top priority.
Adam Boehler
But . . .
Why, then, during an interview with News Nation on January 21st, did Donald Trump not even know who Dennis Coyle is?
When host Katie Pavlich spoke about Trump’s efforts on behalf of various hostages, and asked about a U.S. citizen who was reportedly being held by the Taliban in Afghanistan, he said:
“Well, if you give me the name” . . . despite the fact that she had just told him. She repeated, “Dennis Coyle,” and he responded, “Well, if you give me some information, I’ll take care of that.” [Edith Olmsted, The New Republic, January 21, 2026.]
The exchange continued:
Pavlich:“I know that your administration is working on it . . .”
Trump:“I know they are. But I could do some things on the internet that are pretty impactful.”
Pavlich then asked if Trump had a message for the Taliban about Coyle, who had been taken “for no crime,” to which he replied:
Trump: “Well, I’m not happy about them holding anybody. And especially if he’s not guilty of anything. And it sounds like— from what I’ve heard, and again I’m not that familiar with it like you are, but I will certainly take a very strong position on it.” [Id.]
Well, that will certainly be reassuring to Dennis Coyle and his family: Trump will jump onto the internet — presumably his Truth Social platform — and take a “very strong position.” Whoopee!
*. *. *
I certainly hope that the people actually negotiating on behalf of Dennis Coyle and all of the other hostages being held on specious charges are more aware of what is going on than Trump appears to be. And as a further reminder to them, here again is my list — admittedly incomplete — of their names and locations:
Victims of Greed:
The President, First Lady, and citizens of Venezuela
Europeans Under Threat:
The Nation and the People of Greenland The people of NATO and EU member states
Prisoners of War:
The 19,500 Kidnapped Ukrainian Children The People of Ukraine
Immigrant Detainees in Russia:
Migrants from the Central Asian nations of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan
Endangered Exiles:
Mikita Losik Yulia Navalnaya Countless Journalists and Other Dissidents
Andrei Chapiuk Uladzimir Labkovich Andrzej Poczobut Marfa Rabkova Valiantsin Stafanovic Yuras Zyankovich
In Georgia:
Mzia Amaglobeli
In China:
Chenyue Mao (American)
In Russia:
The “Crimea 8”: — Oleg Antipov — Artyom Azatyan — Georgy Azatyan — Aleksandr Bylin — Roman Solomko — Artur Terchanyan — Dmitry Tyazhelykh — Vladimir Zloba
James Scott Rhys Anderson (British) David Barnes (American) Gordon Black (American) Hayden Davies (British) Antonina Favorskaya Konstantin Gabov Robert Gilman (American) Stephen James Hubbard (American) Sergey Karelin Timur Kishukov Vadim Kobzev Darya Kozyreva Artyom Kriger Michael Travis Leake (American) Aleksei Liptser Grigory Melkonyants Nika Novak Leonid Pshenychnov (in Russian-occupied Crimea) Nadezhda Rossinskaya (a.k.a. Nadin Geisler) Sofiane Sehili (French) Igor Sergunin Dmitry Shatresov Robert Shonov Grigory Skvortsov Eugene Spector (American) Joseph Tater (American, disappeared) Laurent Vinatier Robert Romanov Woodland (American)
Regardless of what Donald Trump thinks, you can’t un-ring a bell.
Disaster at Davos – January 21, 2026
On the heels of his deranged performance at Davos earlier this week, someone in his inner circle must have summoned up the courage to convince him that he needed to do some major damage control, specifically with regard to his insulting comments about the British and other NATO military forces.
Following serious push-back from Prime Minister Keir Starmer — as well as from Prince Harry, who served beside American troops in Afghanistan — Trump condescended to post this on Truth Social:
“The GREAT and very BRAVE soldiers of the United Kingdom will always be with the United States of America! In Afghanistan, 457 died, many were badly injured, and they were among the greatest of all warriors. It’s a bond too strong to ever be broken. The U.K. Military, with tremendous Heart and Soul, is second to none (except for the U.S.A.!). We love you all, and always will!” [Kevin Liptak and Lauren Kent, CNN, January 24, 2026.]
Well, that’s almost an apology.
As though a social media post — almost certainly composed by a White House staff member — will erase the memory of the words he spoke extemporaneously from Davos:
“We’ve never needed them [NATO]. We have never really asked anything of them. You know, they’ll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan or this or that. And they did. They stayed a little back, little off the front lines.” [Id.]
. . . or ease the loss to the families of the British soldiers and Marines killed in Afghanistan:
Returning Home to England – June 29, 2010
If only we could excise his tongue and deep-six his phone.
The world doesn’t need another Hundred Years’ War. But it’s beginning to feel as though that’s what we have . . . and no one feels it more than the people of Ukraine, suffering through their fifth frigid winter of Russia’s “special military operation.”
Winter in Wartime Ukraine
The actual Hundred Years’ War between England and France (1337-1453) was fought between armies on horseback and on foot, with spears, swords, and bows and arrows. This one in Ukraine has targeted civilians — women, children, the elderly and infirm — with missiles and drones. And no amount of diplomatic effort has been able to end it, because of the intransigence of one man: Vladimir Putin.
And the inconceivable ignorance of another: Donald Trump.
This week has seen yet another round of talks designed to buy more time for Russia, but with an added twist: an attempt by Putin to gain the release of frozen Russian assets . . . and with the help of the hapless Trump.
It started on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum at Davos, with a chat between the money men from the U.S. and Russia. From there, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner followed Kirill Dmitriev to Moscow, where they met with Putin for three hours on January 22nd in what was described by Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov as “exceptionally substantive, constructive, and, I would say, extremely frank and confidential.” [Helen Regan and Darya Tarasova, CNN, January 23, 2026.]
In other words, contentious and open-ended, as confirmed by Ushakov’s next statement, warning that “without resolving the territorial issue . . . one should not count on achieving a long-term settlement.” He added that, until a final agreement is reached, Russia would continue to pursue its objectives “on the battlefield, where the Russian Armed Forces hold the strategic initiative.” [Id.]
Vladimir Putin, Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner – Moscow, January 22, 2026
The one thing that did come out of the discussion in the Kremlin was an agreement to convene a long-sought-after trilateral meeting in the United Arab Emirates on Friday, described by Ushakov as the “first meeting of the trilateral working group on security issues.” [Id.]
And it did take place as announced: two days of talks in Abu Dhabi, which Ukraine’s chief negotiator, Rustem Umerov, said in advance would focus on “the parameters for ending Russia’s war and the further logic of the negotiation process.” [Stephen Quillen and Usaid Siddiqui, Al Jazeera, January 24, 2026.]
The result? Anybody’s guess.
The talks concluded today without an announcement of any result. And as the meetings were underway, Russia confirmed Ushakov’s warning by continuing its air attacks on Kyiv and Kharkiv, killing at least one person and injuring dozens of others.
The Onslaught Continues
Ushakov did also say that it would be the “first meeting,” so we should probably assume there will be others. But will they be any more productive, as long as Putin refuses to offer the slightest concessions toward a settlement? Or as long as Trump continues to mollify him?
Thus far, all we’ve seen is a lot of people burning up untold amounts of jet fuel as they hop around the globe in search of a resolution. And I’m beginning to think we (the U.S.) may need to send in a whole new team of negotiators, with an entirely new modus operandi.
*. *. *
And what about those frozen Russian assets? Well, that little wrench was thrown into the works when Trump invited Putin to join his new “Board of Peace.” And Putin — ever the opportunist — responded that he would consider it, and would pay the $1 billion fee for a permanent seat on the Board, if Trump would help to unfreeze the Russian assets being held by the West since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Putin promised that when that happened, he would turn over the $1 billion.
And if Trump buys that, I have a bridge in Brooklyn I’d like to sell him.
Nick Cave is the front man for the Australian rock band, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. I admit that I have never heard their music . . . in fact, I had never heard of them at all until I found this one brief line in a search for today’s quote on the subject of risk-taking.
Nick Cave
What led me along this path was the thought of all of the multi-billionaires who might now be preparing to jump wallets-first into Donald Trump’s scheme for the construction of a new city on the Gaza Strip. And, while Nick Cave’s music is said to be “characterised by emotional intensity and lyrical obsessions with death and violence” [en.wikipedia.org], I found this one bit of lyricto be oddly comforting:
“If you’re gonna dine with them cannibals Sooner or later, darling, you’re gonna get eaten.”
– Nick Cave, “Cannibal’s Hymn”
In some perverse way, it gives me hope for the future awaiting all of those MAGA “cannibals” out there . . . both the leaders and their mindless followers . . . when karma finally catches up with them.
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